The seamless gloves knitted by the flat knitting machine are known. These gloves are knitted on a plain knit structure basis as a whole (Patent Document 1). The gloves of this type are widely distributed as a working glove and a fashion-use glove. In general, a glove is knitted starting from a fifth finger, followed by the remaining fingers in the order of fourth finger, third finger, and second finger. Then, the part from the fifth finger to the second finger is knitted as a single tubular body to form a four-finger body. After the knitting of the four-finger body, a thumb is knitted. Then, the thumb and the previously knitted four-finger body are knitted together to form a five-finger body. Thereafter, a wrist is knitted, with which the knitting of the glove is ended. In order to prevent cast-off of the glove, an elastic yarn is inlaid in the wrist part of the glove by the inlay knitting to provide stretch for the wrist part.
Another type of gloves is also known which are produced by knitting all parts with an elastic yarn. This type of glove is given high stretch so that it can be a one-size-fits-all glove anyone from children to adults can wear.
However, even when the elastic yarn is inlaid in the glove of plain knit by the inlay knitting, since any of the gloves mentioned above is knitted on a plain knit structure basis as a whole, it may be given high expansility but has limitations on its supporting performance. To obtain the glove having a high support performance, a production method wherein the knitted fabric of the rib knit structure in which an elastic yarn is inlaid is formed in a tubular form by sewing is exclusively used under the circumstances. The sewing work requires very complicated treatments including, for example, a treatment to prevent drop of the elastic yarn.
Patent Document 1: JP Examined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-111022